Present invention relates to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone device provided with a position monitoring function and more specifically to mobile terminals, base stations, base station controlling stations, wireless communication method, and wireless communication system which can restrict telephone communication in an area which is automatically predetermined as a non-communication area automatically.
The present invention also relates to mobile terminals and a mode switching method which can switch an operation mode when a user of the mobile phone is using transportation facilities such as a train and bus.
Making phone calls by a mobile phone is sometimes restricted in certain areas such as a hospital, a movie theater, and a train, etc. Whoever owns a mobile phone, hereinafter called a mobile phone user, must turn off the mobile phone or change the setting condition each time such an occasion arises.
However, people around the mobile phone user feel disturbed when the mobile phone is used in such an area where mobile phone communication is restricted because of miss-handling for the mobile phone by the mobile phone user and lack of consideration of others. Another concern is that a radio wave which is radiated from the mobile phone can affect certain medical devices. Thus, the health of persons who have certain medical devices may be affected by the use of a mobile phone.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a technique is proposed in which a position information of the mobile phone is handled by base stations, and the mobile phone communication is compulsorily prohibited under condition that the position of the mobile phone indicates an area where it is not appropriate to use the mobile phone or where mobile phone communication is regulated (hereinafter called no-communication area).
More specifically, the mobile phone receives an information for present position of the mobile phone periodically so as to transmit the received position information to base stations. Then, the base station determines whether or not the present position of the mobile phone corresponds to a no-communication area according to the received position information so as to regulate or allow mobile phone communication according to the determination.
Another feature is to switch the mobile phone to a silent mode or turn off the mobile phone in a train or a bus in consideration of others who may be affected by mobile phone use. For example, interference with the operation of a medical device such as a pace-maker caused by a radio wave radiated from the mobile phone can be prevented.
Normally, a mobile phone user has to switch the operation mode to silent-mode or turn off the mobile phone each time the mobile phone user uses transportation facilities such as a train and a bus. Therefore, some mobile phone users may miss switching operation mode under busy circumstances. Some mobile phone users may hesitate changing the operation mode to a silent-mode because of negligence. Thus, there will be occasions where people in the vicinity will feel disturbed.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 11-296276 discloses a technique to solve the above problems. According to the specification, it is disclosed that global coordinates are received by a Global Positioning System (GPS) so as to be converted to a system of coordinates, and a position of the mobile phone is specified so as to limit execution of function by comparing the coordinates and a geographic dictionary in the mobile phone device.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-278758 discloses a technique in that sensors are disposed at an entrance and an exit for an area such as a hospital, a movie theater, and a ticket barrier gate where voluntary restriction for using a mobile phone is required. An operation mode designating signal (silent-mode signal, energy-saving-mode signal) is transmitted from a transmitter/receiver when an owner of a mobile phone passes in front of the sensor. When the mobile phone receives the operation mode designating signal, the designated operation mode is set in the mobile phone.
However, according to the above conventional method, the mobile phone receives the present position information periodically during use or in standby mode and the received present position information is immediately transmitted to the base station. Therefore, there is a problem in that the mobile phone has a significant work load. Due to this extra work load, the electricity necessary for receiving and transmitting the position information is not used efficiently.
Additionally, the base station has to determine whether the position information which is received periodically from the mobile phone indicates a no-communication area. Therefore, the base station also has a significant workload causing the operation in the base station to be inefficient.
In a technique which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Application No. Hei 11-296276, there is a problem in that execution of function in the mobile phone is limited according to the position information. Therefore, it is difficult to limit the execution of function in the mobile phone because the scope of the designated area becomes complicated for limiting the execution of function in the mobile phone which is owned by a user who is in a transportation facility such as a train. Even though the scope for designated area is tentatively predetermined along the moving route, there is a new problem in that making a call from a mobile phone is impossible near a platform of the train station or a moving route. Furthermore, since the mobile phone stores a geographical dictionary inside, there is a possibility that the data amount becomes huge according to a moving range of the mobile phone. Thus, more memory capacity becomes necessary which decreases mobility of the mobile phone.
Also, in a technique which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Application No. 2000-278758, there is a problem in that sensors must be disposed in all entrances/exits in areas where the use of the mobile phone needs to be restricted. Thus, more investment cost for such facilities becomes necessary.